Detailed job description and main responsibilities

1. Provide a paediatric clinical pharmacy service to wards and departments in accordance with department procedures, this includes

• Medicines Reconciliation
• Patient/parent/carer counselling
• Prioritise clinical patient drug review and maintaining patient profiles.
• Contact with prescribers and other health care professionals to discuss the most appropriate drug therapy and tailoring it to the needs that best suits the patient.
• Document information in patients’ notes and amending prescriptions where appropriate in line with departmental procedures.
• Provide tutorials and training to nursing staff.
• Provide clinical advice at ward rounds
• Interpret and work to a large variety of local and national policies/guidelines. Identify and provide advice and guidance when consulted about new or alternative policies/guidelines.
• Liaison with the Near Patient Pharmacy technicians to ensure a seamless and rapid patient discharge.
• Liaison with ward pharmacy technicians over ward medicine requirements

2. Provide advice on therapeutic drug monitoring and appropriate doses for individual patients including

• Interpretation of child’s clinical status and drug handling ability
• Review of measured drug levels
• Recommending dose adjustments based on patients’ pharmacokinetic parameters

3. Provide a day to day inpatient and outpatient dispensing service to include

• Review, dispense and check outpatient and inpatient prescriptions for the appropriateness and safety of medicines prescribing.
• Identify and report adverse drug reactions to the prescriber and where necessary the MHRA.
• Identify drug interactions, inform the prescriber and suggest alternative therapies where appropriate.
• Ensure compliance with Code of Ethics, Medicines Act and HC (88) 54.
• Dispense, check and record clinical trials and restricted use medication.
• Check the work of pharmacy students, technicians and assistants before final release of prescriptions if required.
• Provide professional and clinical supervision in the dispensary in conjunction with other pharmacists.
• Assist in maintaining safe systems for the control and storage of drugs in line with current legislation and regulations.
• Ensure safe and accurate preparation and dispensing of extemporaneous products and provide in-process checks for manufactured/extemporaneous dispensed items.

4. Assist in the provision of an aseptic dispensing service to include

• Advise on formulation and stability of Parenteral Nutrition solutions.
• Provide advice on suitability of doses, rates and methods of administration of CIVAS drugs.
• Ensure appropriate preparation, final check and release of CIVAS products according to good practice requirements and appropriate regulations
• Provide in-process checks for cytotoxic products and assist in the release of cytotoxic drugs-out of hours/weekends in accordance with cytotoxic operational guidelines.
• Provide professional supervision of the CIVAS service in the absence of Head of Aseptic Services and Specialist Pharmacist-Aseptic Services

5. Assist in the provision of a medicines information service, to include:

• Searching Medicines information databases and liaising with external companies to gather the most relevant information and relaying this to the enquirer within agreed timescales.
• Provide a specialised paediatric medicines information service to primary and secondary healthcare professionals (at local and national level) and parents/carers of trust patients.
• Provide professional advice on various aspects of paediatric drug therapy

6. Provide an out of hours paediatric on-call pharmacy service as outlined in the Medicines Management Code and Pharmacy On-call pathway
7. Participate in rotas to provide pharmacy services at weekends, for late clinics and on bank holidays
8. Review prescribing trends, current and new drug therapies and advise on cost-effective use of drugs.
9. Contribute towards the development of clinical guidelines
10. Act as a mentor for pre-registration students and pharmacy technicians who are undertaking additional training in clinical pharmacy
11. Assist in the training and development of junior staff within pharmacy
12. Participate in clinical forums and provide tutorials/ presentations to pharmacy staff and other health care professionals when appropriate
13. Assist in the release of cytotoxic drugs out of hours/at weekends in accordance with cytotoxic operational guideline
14. To actively undertake continuing professional development by maintaining records and keeping abreast of clinical, pharmaceutical and legislative changes
15. Participate in clinical audit or research if appropriate
16. Participate in flexible hours of working between the hours of 8am and 6pm